1. Field
The following description relates to an image forming apparatus. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus having a window open-closing shutter and a shutter operating lever that can selectively open and close a window member of a light scanning unit that scans light to form an electrostatic latent image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an electro-photographic image forming apparatus, such as a copy machine, a light printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunctional product, for example, includes a light scanning unit scanning light corresponding to printing data for forming an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive medium.
The light scanning unit uses an optical deflector, such as a rotating polygon mirror, to periodically deflect light emitted from a light source, and uses an −θ lens to focus the light on a surface of the photosensitive medium having photosensitivity, such as a photosensitive drum, to form an electrostatic latent image thereon.
The light scanning unit may include a window open-closing shutter that can selectively open and close a window member from which light is emitted to prevent the window member from being contaminated by developer and paper dust generated during printing.
However, in order to perform an open-closing operation, the window open-closing shutter of the conventional light scanning unit uses a separate driving apparatus and a power transmitting apparatus, such as gears or cams, to transmit power generated by the driving apparatus to the window open-closing shutter. Accordingly, the light scanning unit having the window open-closing shutter has a complex structure and a high material cost, and, due to the difficulty of assembly and repair, management fees of the image forming apparatus are increased.
Accordingly, the light scanning unit may be formed to have no window open-closing shutter. However, if there is no window open-closing shutter, when an image forming unit or a waste developer receptacle is separated from an image forming apparatus, developer is scattered so as to contaminate the window member of the light scanning unit, which results in an adverse effect on image quality.